Detailed views of many dead Japanese soldiers, following their unsuccessful attack on British Army positions around Meiktila, central Burma, during the night of 22-23 March 1945.

A 25-pounder is loaded and fired several times by the crew. The body of a Japanese soldier lies on the ground. His hands look to be charred and he is wearing his helmet; he also has his water bottle attached to his belt and a bayonet or short sword. The face of a dead Japanese soldier; he lies with his eyes open and a trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. Another soldier's face; the eyes are open and he almost seems to be smiling. Chest and head shot of another dead Japanese soldier who lies with his eyes open on hard baked soil. Approximately a dozen bodies lie on a road. The bodies are closely packed and some lie on top of one another. Two dead soldiers lie next to each other on a road; paper and equipment litter the ground around them. A dead Japanese soldier sitting up against a mud wall; he still wears his cap and spectacles. The face of another dead soldier covered in mud and dirt. Face of a dead Japanese soldier who appears to have been wounded in the mouth. Two Japanese soldiers lie next to each other. A gas mask lies next to them. Another pile of two or three dead Japanese soldiers. A dead Japanese soldier with his head on one side.

Notes

After crossing the Irrawaddy at Nyaungu, 17th Indian Division made a dash for the strategic centre of Meiktila. Meiktila was the site of a number of key strategic airfields and also stood at the head of the main road to Rangoon. After its initial capture there followed a number of determined Japanese counterattacks throughout March 1945 before it was completely secure.

Dopesheet states that the brunt of the fighting in which these Japanese were killed was borne by 1st Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles.